Atlantic City boardwalk back in business after Sandy

Dec. 5, 2012
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This full-page ad ran in print last week. Atlantic City businesses and stakeholders are eagerly spreading word that the Boardwalk is intact and businesses are open after superstorm Sandy briefly shut down the city. / Atlantic City Alliance via PR Newswire

by Chris Gray Faust, special for USA TODAY

by Chris Gray Faust, special for USA TODAY

TV viewers during Superstorm Sandy saw portions of the Atlantic City Boardwalk engulfed by waves and swept out to sea. That's an image that the gambling-driven resort hopes to erase during the crucial holiday season.

"There's this perception out there that Atlantic City was devastated by the storm," says Tony Rodio, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey.

Although the casinos did shut down for an unprecedented five days, none suffered major damage, he said, noting that the Boardwalk in the heart of the tourist area remained intact, contrary to initial media reports.

All of the city's Christmas traditions, including the annual Atlantic City holiday parade and the newer Running of the Santas at the Tropicana Casino Resort, are scheduled to proceed as usual. The curtain is coming up on both the Legends in Concert Holiday, and New Year's Eve shows -- the Bally Casino stalwart that features tribute performances by faux Michael Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Barbra Streisand, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.

Just a few weeks after Sandy struck, the city opened the first phase of Artlantic, a $3 million public arts installation in vacant lots near the Boardwalk (which emerged unscathed in the tourist area near the casinos). Overseen by international curator Lance Fung, the free installations involving well-known artists are meant to evoke Atlantic City's history and reflect its proximity to the ocean.

Initiatives like Artlantic are part of an overall plan to diversify Atlantic City's offerings, says Joseph Kelly, president of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce. Even before the storm, the city's casinos had been facing revenue challenges from newer casinos offering table games in Pennsylvania and Delaware that had siphoned off some of the AC's traditional customers. And the revenue drop after Sandy has been the worst in the city's history. The casinos reported revenues were down nearly 20 percent in October 2012 from 2011.

"Competition and the economy force you to make changes," Kelly says. "Our change is the enhancement of the product through dining, entertainment and retail."

Perhaps no casino has made more of a splash on that front than Revel. The $2.4 billion non-smoking property opened in the spring, the city's first new casino construction in nine years. Although the casino has earned raves for its restaurants-including several helmed by Jose Garces, one of the Food Network's Iron Chefs, -and high-end nightclubs, its gambling proceeds have not kept pace. It placed eighth in revenue among Atlantic City's dozen casinos, according to summer revenue figures from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

When the casinos reopened, Revel continued attracting high-profile entertainers to its HQ nightclub, and Carrie Underwood performed in the first major concert after the storm at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.

To continue the momentum, Revel is offering winter escape rates, starting at $129 through Dec. 25. Its spa, Bask, has $99 facials and 60-minute massages. Luke's Kitchen & Marketplace is featuring a collection of artisan wines, selected personally by Chef Luke Palladino during his travels through Italy, that is available only at the casino.

Other casinos-including The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel, Harrah's, Bally's and Tropicana-all have holiday offerings and packages on tap.

At Resorts, Atlantic City's first casino, now revamped and owned by Mohegan Gaming Advisors, casino guests and locals can come in and receive free gift wrapping through Dec. 23, courtesy of the MAPS Foundation of South Jersey.

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, which raised the bar for Atlantic City luxury when it opened in 2003, is focusing on $99 spa specials, including 50-minute massages, facials and body wraps, that might draw residents from neighboring states during the slower winter season. Another new package, the Winecation, includes a vinotherapy spa treatment, a wine tasting at the Vintage Wine Boutique located within the property's Shoppes at the Water Club and a three-course prix fixe dinner with wine pairings at Fornelletto Cucina (prices start at $445).

Even more important than the holiday shopping season is the week after Christmas, when people are looking to have fun, says Rodio, who is also CEO and president of the Tropicana Resort. "New Year's Eve is the most significant night of the year," he says. "We're usually all at 100 percent occupancy. That will be a big indicator."

Part of the challenge, Rodio acknowledges, is that the traditional Atlantic City gambler lives within driving distance and also may have suffered damage from Sandy. Besides casino workers, many of whom were furloughed or had hours reduced after the storm, people in the Atlantic City area who serve as vendors have also seen their revenues cut.

"Those customers have been going through hardships," Rodio says. "We are letting them know that we're ready, willing and able to accommodate people who want to get away and relax from the trauma."

For their Trump One Card holders, Trump Plaza is offering a $50,000 "Pay Off Your Holiday Bills" cash sweepstakes from Dec. 28 to 31, where $15,000 will be awarded daily. While the promotion was not created with the post-Sandy economy in mind, spokesman Brian Cahill said the casino expects it will be popular.

Kelly believes that getting people back to Atlantic City is going to take more than special promotions-it will be letting tourists know that the city has more to offer than just gambling.

"There's not a person who I bring to town who doesn't say that it exceeded their expectations," he says. "We're a beachfront resort. Not everyone can say that. Which means that the very thing that hurt us will be the thing that helps us."